Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Record Store Day Rebuttal

By Doug Sheppard

You would think that if an otherwise
struggling retail sector were reinvigorated at least twice a year by a
self-conceived holiday that spurs more in-store traffic and sales, it would be
celebrated by consumers and retailers alike. You would think. But proving that
the High Fidelity stereotypes of
cantankerous record store clerks and narrow-minded collectors are nonfiction,
the onslaught of cynicism about Record Store Day is in full swing in the
blogosphere -- supposedly providing a bit of levity to us fools who actually
enjoy it every year.

The critics -- who I’m not going to
single out in the interest of not starting a pissing match -- have a few
legitimate points. It may indeed be a last gasp for most record stores rather
than a rebirth, some releases take “limited edition” to idiotic extremes, and
it unfortunately does shut those without access to a record store out of the
process.

The majority of the anti-Record Store
Day arguments, however, are just silly. Addressing a few of them one by one:

•“They’re
creating artificial rarities that end up on eBay.” Yes and no. Some will start off at premium
prices and stay that way. A more discerning (and patient) consumer, however,
will note that prices of the vast majority of titles will rise briefly in the
ensuing weeks, then fall back down to the original retail tag within a month or
so. Copies of many even remain in record stores for weeks or even months after
Record Store Day. Finally, did it ever occur to those leveling this charge that
many of these items are of only limited interest, hence only worth pressing in
limited quantities? It’s wonderful to demand universal access, but someone has
to pay the bill.

•“These
are fetish objects that probably won’t be played regularly.” Fetish objects in a collecting field? Whoever
heard of that? Record collectors buying more than they can listen to? Another
phenomenon I’ve never heard of. In all seriousness though, why should anyone
care what happens to items after they’re sold?

•“Many
RSD customers don’t return.” Assuming
it’s not hostage takers laundering ransom money, why should anyone care who’s
buying the records if you’re turning a profit? Even if Record Store Day adds
only a few new customers, that’s more than the store had before -- and probably
more sales as well. I mean, the goal of any retailer is to make money and stay
in business, right?

•“RSD
is not about building a community.” OK,
maybe it is my turn to be a cynic. “Building a community” in a record store
sounds like pretentious indie rock horseshit to me. I go to record stores to
buy records. Sure it’s nice if the clerk is knowledgeable and/or friendly, but
mainly -- I want to browse and buy stuff. Why else would I be there? The
coolest record stores aren’t the ones with “community,” but the ones with the
best records/prices. Besides, if that is your goal, community can be created
whenever people are together -- including on Record Store Day. (Just beware of
including in your community those horrible people who only play their RSD
purchases once.)

Those who conceived Record Store Day
are to be commended. With the decline of tangible formats, someone had to do
something to generate a buzz and business -- and, judging by the long lines,
they’ve succeeded. Even critics would have to acknowledge that the alternative
-- doing nothing -- would have been much worse. Plus, similar to CD revolution,
many RSD titles may not have otherwise seen release/reissue. Vanguard, for
example, had been sitting on its psychedelic vaults for years before RSD
finally inspired the Follow Me Down
double-LP comp in 2011.

But beyond all of that, no one is
forcing any consumer or retailer to participate in Record Store Day. You don’t
like it? Don’t do it. I won’t judge you as long as you don’t judge those of us
who have a good time.